Bustling with Activity

Kunlun Mountain, Jade Void Palace.

Yuanshi Tianzun, seated cross-legged on a prayer mat, slowly opened his eyes. For no apparent reason, he had gained some Merit.

He performed a divination with his fingers, yet could not discern the heavenly secrets.

"Someone has formed karma with me in the dark, and I did not even know?!"

Dao rhythms flowed around Yuanshi Tianzun as he prepared to deduce it again, when an ancient voice sounded in his heart.

"This was my doing. I will repay you with karma in the future."

"Yes, Teacher."

Yuanshi Tianzun was slightly startled, but did not pursue the matter. He continued comprehending the Primordial Violet Qi.

Great Wilderness Mountain, Wind-Fire Tribe.

Feng Xu began cultivating the Eight-Nine Mystical Art.

The First Transformation, tempering the meridians, was not difficult. With his Innate Realm foundation, he would soon master it. After initially refining his core meridians, Feng Xu began the next stage of cultivation.

The Second Transformation tempered the internal organs. This was a long process, as the organs were even more important than the meridians. If anything went wrong, one might become crippled at best or die outright at worst.

Feng Xu planned to slowly refine his organs while gradually refining his other meridians.

Carrying out the First and Second Transformations simultaneously could slightly speed up his cultivation progress, but it would certainly be weaker than steadily cultivating all the way to the Second Transformation.

That was not a problem. The foundational cultivation could be made up later. Feng Xu was entering the Second Transformation early because Spirit Sense could only begin cultivation after the organs had been tempered.

The physical body was trained, while the Primordial Spirit was nurtured.

In the latter half of the night, Feng Xu stopped his Body Tempering and began cultivating his Spirit Sense, using that cultivation in place of sleep.

Morning light streamed into the cave, and Feng Xu awoke from meditation.

The others were still snoring, yet he felt completely refreshed.

"No wonder immortals begin their seclusion in spans of a thousand years. Proper cultivation not only does not tire a person out, but also keeps one full of vitality."

The morning was the best time of day. Without Dharma Treasures or great divine abilities, he might as well practice some boxing.

Feng Xu practiced Taiji Fist.

He had learned it at university in his previous life, then studied other versions online. Practicing it again now felt entirely different from before.

The fist technique had not changed, but he had.

"Feng Xu, what are you doing?"

Feng Xi walked out of the cave, finding Feng Xu's stance rather strange.

"I'm practicing boxing," Feng Xu replied.

"That is not how fists are used. Your punches have no strength."

Feng Xu's movements were slow yet fluid, and his stance was exceptionally steady.

Strength lay in the sinews and bones, qi flowed throughout the body, yet its power did not show outwardly.

The qi and blood within his body circulated through him in a gentle, natural state. Though cultivating his physical body and Primordial Spirit together differed from the Eight-Nine Mystical Art's methods, the two did not conflict.

Mystery upon mystery, the gateway to all wonders.

Seeing Feng Xu fully immersed in his boxing practice, Feng Xi did not disturb him. He took a woven basket and went out to dig clay.

He needed to make many pottery blanks and fire even more pottery.

The others gradually rose and began the day's work.

Originally, as long as these primitive people had enough food, they had nothing to do. But with the emergence of pottery, they had begun to get busy.

They would only grow busier in the future.

"If I bring the nine-to-nine-six work schedule here, would that add to my karma?"

After finishing his boxing, Feng Xu watched the bustling crowd and mocked himself.

He was becoming more and more like a capitalist.

He would tidy things up today, then lead a team to trade with other tribes tomorrow. This trip would take quite a few days.

He could not let the people remaining in the tribe waste their time for nothing.

Firing large pottery required building a larger kiln. He planned to fire bricks and build a brick kiln.

The preparatory work alone would take several days, so he could arrange it in advance. Once the trading was finished and he returned to the tribe, they could begin firing.

They would build several more earth kilns to increase production.

At the same time, they would make molds for producing large quantities of brick blanks.

The plant ash left from previous fires could be added to the molds to prevent the clay blanks from sticking.

Plant ash was commonly used in ancient crafting methods. It needed to be collected and stored, not wasted.

Making brick blanks and firing pottery would be the tribe's main work for this period.

"Making molds requires wood, and we also need to prepare firewood for firing the wares."

Feng Xu found Feng Xi, who was making pottery blanks, and told him about his idea of building a brick kiln.

Feng Xi nodded and called several people to go cut down trees.

Feng Xu also led tribesmen to search for suitable clay, which they brought back to sort and process.

They split the wood into planks, then processed and polished them before leaving them for half a day to release their internal stress.

Once the clay was processed, they could more or less begin making brick molds.

Everyone was busy, as they also had to prepare the things they would bring when they departed tomorrow.

They worked from dawn until dark, resting very little aside from an hour at midday for their meal.

Who could blame them when their physical constitutions were so strong? The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.

Even the children had to work.

Since no one demanded much from them, their labor was basically no different from playing around.

They made more than twenty sets of molds in total.

The tribe had only a little over forty adults, including the elderly. Some people would be going out tomorrow, so more than twenty sets were entirely sufficient.

Some people also needed to prepare dry firewood for winter and fire pottery, so they could not all be assigned to making brick blanks.

Feng Xu taught the tribespeople how to make brick blanks and how to arrange them for drying.

That evening, he taught them some writing for a while, then discussed the candidates for the expedition with Feng Sui.

Feng Xu planned for Feng Xi to lead the team, taking ten healthier elders out with him. Feng Xu himself would travel with the group as well.

He wanted to see the outside world.

Feng Sui felt that going out was dangerous and believed he should come along too.

"Sui, you cannot leave. The tribe needs a strong person to protect it."

Feng Sui's injuries had mostly healed, but he could not engage in high-intensity combat for the time being.

"Let Feng Xi stay behind. I'll lead the team."

Feng Sui was clearly uneasy about letting Feng Xu go out, but he could not bring himself to stop him.

"No. We do not know whether the tribespeople who left before will return to seize our things. Only you can keep them in check."

Although those tribespeople who had left did not lack food, they had no women. As the saying went, once fed, people began thinking of lust. Who knew whether they might return to raid the tribe after filling their bellies?

"But Xu, I'm afraid something will happen to you."

Feng Sui's eyes were filled with worry. As the tribe's leader, he knew all too well how dangerous the outside world was.

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen. I'll protect Xu."

Feng Xi thumped his chest as he made his promise.

"Many of those who left believed you would die. If they return and see that you are still alive, they may choose to stay. Then the tribe will have more strength as well."

Feng Xu persuaded him again.

"Then... all right. Xi, you must protect Xu."

Feng Sui could not overcome the two of them and could only sigh helplessly.

"I swear to the Holy Mother that I will protect Xu."

Feng Xi raised one hand toward the sky and swore the oath.

"Xu, how many brick blanks do you think we should make?"

"The more, the better, but we cannot keep the tribespeople too busy. They need sufficient rest."

"What are these things for?"

"They can be used to build kilns and houses."

"What is a house?"

"A place to live and rest, much like a cave, only more comfortable."

Feng Xu did not know how to explain what a brick house was, so he could only give a broad answer.

"Still, building houses must come later. We should build the kilns first."

Feng Xu continued.

Feng Sui nodded. Though he did not quite understand, everything Feng Xu had done so far had benefited the tribe.

For the time being, there were only three tasks: making brick blanks, firing pottery, and storing firewood.

"You also need to keep an eye on the children in the tribe, especially the boys. Do not let them run around, or accidents could easily happen."

The tribe had no private ownership for now. The elderly, women, and children were all managed collectively. Most people did not know which children were their own.

As for who the fathers of the children were, that was even harder to say.

They had truly achieved a state where no one favored only their own parents, nor cared only for their own children.

In such an environment, children were far less restrained from a young age and often ran around. Even children in the peaceful environment of Feng Xu's previous life could find countless ways to get themselves killed, much less these wilder children.

Feng Sui had been exceptional since childhood and had always received attention. That was why his mother had been able to remember him and give him extra care.

Thinking of how he had appeared two or three li away from the tribe when he transmigrated, Feng Xu felt that the children truly could not be left unmanaged.

"For the few who cannot be controlled, use a vine switch on their backsides. Give them something to remember."

Feng Xu gestured with a vine switch in hand. He felt the children should be given a complete childhood.

At the same time, he reminded Feng Sui to go easy, letting them feel pain was enough. He should not break their skin.

Feng Sui nodded in agreement.

The tribe occasionally lost children. This truly was not good.